Meet Rose Lindo

We were lucky to catch up with Rose Lindo recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Rose, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

Wheelchair-bound and unable to feed himself or take himself to the bathroom, the father my family once knew was replaced with some guy named Als who took up occupancy in the back room of our house. His voice was hijacked by some autoresponder named ‘Perfect Paul,’ & his black slacks & neatly-ironed ties were swapped out for solid-colored sweat suits.

As the youngest of eight kids, I was about to head off to kindergarten when my dad got his terminal diagnosis. I still remember his green sweats & the smell of Ensure, which was his feeding tube’s drink of choice. His cocktail was easy to make – never shaken, stirred, or on the rocks, although, it did have to be poured slowly so he wouldn’t choke.

A few years later, and I was called to the principal’s office for the first time. While I initially assumed I was getting pulled out of school to attend an unexpected dental appointment, after making the trek to the office and seeing the look on my brother’s face, I knew something was up.

“Dad’s not doing well,” my brother said.

This was really confusing for me, as my dad had NEVER been doing well, at least not in the years I could remember.

Once we got to our house, our family’s favorite nurse was stationed in the bedroom taking my dad’s pulse periodically. At a certain point, I remember her shaking her head NO, which was still somewhat of a mystery to me. It was unfathomable for my 9-year-old brain to comprehend the idea that I’d just witnessed my dad take his last breath.

Although I never got the chance to know the guy behind the green sweat suit very well, losing my father at an early age serves as a source of (morbid) motivation for me. There were so many things he never got the chance to do or experience, including starting his own business.

While no one is immune to life’s struggles, our triumphs AND tragedies allow us to grow & make changes that often lead to really beautiful outcomes. Every time an obstacle is put in my path, this is where I experience the most amount of growth both personally and professionally.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

Since 2009, I have worked as a graphic designer & illustrator out of my home office just outside of Oklahoma City. As someone who specializes in fun products like wallpaper, fabric, & stationery, I’ve been lucky enough to license work to companies like Canva, Shutterfly, & West Elm.

I believe creativity is the universal language that allows people to solve problems & translate ideas when words don’t do the trick. It’s not just about making things look pretty; it’s about communicating effectively across all ages, ethnicities, & walks of life.

I believe in treating people with kindness & embracing authenticity. It is my goal to be inclusive, loving, & helpful to as many people as possible. Born with an eye for design, I am grateful to get my Mac on each day. The work I do behind the computer allows me to give back and volunteer for several local non-profits.

If you’re on the hunt for wallpaper or fabric, I just launched several new collections that can be found on my site: www.roselindo.co.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

It sometimes feels less authentic to use digital tools over traditional mediums, but after becoming a mother, I’ve adopted the mantra “work smarter, not harder.” If it is ethical, it saves time, and it allows me to spend more time away from screens, I’m all for it!

While I used to try to power through creative blocks, I’ve learned to take a step back and do something that has absolutely nothing to do with the problematic project or idea itself. This usually involves being outside, doing yoga, or meeting up with a friend. I’ve learned to be more in-tune with my body and brain in order to avoid burnout, which is an inevitable part of this job. I’ve never worn ‘busy-ness’ as a badge of honor and think it’s equally as important to rest as it is to pack a schedule to the brim.

I love the quote “There is no elevator to success; you have to take the stairs.” People are always looking for an easy way out, but what they don’t realize is that, by taking shortcuts, they’re missing out on all the lessons that are discovered during the detour.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?

Brené Brown’s book Daring Greatly had a huge impact on the way I think about work and life in general. She starts off with a quote by Teddy Roosevelt that is famously known as The Man in the Arena. Since I know I’ll butcher the quote, I’ve pasted it below:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of
deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is
marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because
there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great
enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the
triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place
shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
— Theodore Roosevelt

We all come up short from time to time. While it’s easy to point fingers and laugh at others’ defeats and failures, the real credit belongs to the people who are willing to make themselves vulnerable and step into the arena over and over again.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.roselindo.co
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roselindoco/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roselindoco
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roselindo/